10th Wipro Partners' Forum

“If a poor farmer upstream pollutes a river also used by a rich farmer downstream do you ascribe as much blame? Ecologically, pollution is pollution, but does this stance change from a social justice standpoint?”

“Is the result of the intersection of issues of ecological sustainability & education, one more subject to be taught in schools? Or should we go to the extent of saying that because of the seriousness of issues like climate change, we should relook at our concept of well-being and what a good life is and hence what good education is?”

These and many other questions were discussed in the Wipro Partners’ Forum, held in Bangalore from September 16-18, 2009. The theme of the forum was ecological sustainability and it’s implications to education. Some interesting & thought-provoking reflections that came out the sessions:

• While a pouncing tiger scares us, long-term problems like climate change cannot scare us enough to act. Can humanity go beyond these instincts?
• It is a popular notion that only the industry pollutes & causes ecological imbalances. But if one looks at all the issues of ecological sustainability that the water consumption levels are unsustainable is as big a problem. In India around 70% of the water is used up by agriculture. Many different activities that further human sustenance have contributed to the problem and not just industry. Hence the root cause seems to lie deeper.
• Having a separate subject to sensitise children on the environment, while in all other ways fostering a competitive spirit that thrives on consumption, leaves the child confused. The educational intervention needs to be more holistic than this.

The Partners’ Forum is an annual event where all partners of Wipro Applying Thought in Schools congregate and share thoughts and debate approaches that educationists could take in their school reform work. There were around 70 participants from across the country including veteran thinkers, people who have spent many years working in improving education and young entrepreneurs running profit and non-profit organisations working in education. The sessions held had the following objectives:

• Describe & better understand issues around ecological sustainability
• Discuss social responses including specific educational responses
• Analyse the National Curriculum Framework and UNESCO approach to Ecological education for its applicability to work on the ground
• Study the recently notifies Right to Education (RTE) Bill and discuss its possibilities and problems and form a sub-group that can work on specific recommendations for the govt. in framing rules around RTE

The discussion around the RTE Bill has resulted in a sub-group that will work on specific recommendations for future legislation. The sessions around sustainability raised awareness for many & would help bring issues around ecological sustainability into the current educational discourse & would increasingly factor as an input in planning the future programs of this community of organisations.

You can download the transcripts of the various forum sessions by clicking here.